How to unleash your full potential
Introduction The art of playing video games is fascinating. Most gamers do not realize that to play video games is one of the most accessible activity that you can push to a very high level in a short amount of time, because it involves far less physical danger. It's not as if you would take the risk to get hurt physically and have to stop for months. And because the physical requirements are very low, to play video games video games is an easy way to experience how it is like to perform an activity on the highest levels. Depending on the free time you have, it could take a few weeks to get there. It's a matter of becoming comfortable with the controls, the gameplay mechanics of the game, the maps, yourself and other players. You'll be amazed to realize that the more you increase your skill level, the more your consciousness shifts and redefines what it means to play a video game. The deeper you go into the experience, the more everything start to look alike and you'll realize that the same principles are applied to any other activities. They all use the same mechanics, but with a different context which creates the illusion. What you can learn through the mastery of video games, can be applied to other field of expertise as well. Choose your platform and game wisely To reach the highest skill levels in a short period of time, the PC is the platform of choice. The mouse and keyboard are your best choices, simply because they are fast to warm up with and from one game to another, even if the behavior of the mouse differs, it still is pretty similar. On console, the behavior for the thumbsticks from one game to another changes entirely and it is a big issues for players who want to master multiple games of the same genre. And if your goal is to experience the highest levels, you will need a game that can offer you that potential. You will need a game that offers a lot of depth unlike Halo or Call of Duty. You might want to look for games such as Counter-Strike, Quake, Unreal Tournament, Tribes, Street Fighter: 3rd Strike, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix, Star Craft or Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. The 3 basic layers to master There are 3 layers that first need to be mastered. *The mastery of the controls *The mastery of the gameplay mechanics *The mastery of the map The obvious, no secret, no magic. To increase his skills, a player first needs to become comfortable with the controls, then learn how to execute every gameplay mechanic properly and learn every secret of the maps. The reeducation of the brain For most people, the brain works all the time without their own accord. It doesn't stop to process everything it sees and prevents players to reach their full potential. To reeducate the brain, the player has to neutralize his thought process. The trick is to look at the center of the screen, just play and observe. After a certain amount of time and efforts, the brain will calm down and the noise will fade out. When that state is reached, the time between thoughts and execution becomes non-existent. The player will have tremendously more horsepower to process the events and his actions. Here are just a few of the many side-effects: *Enhanced problem-solving capabilities *Enhanced space awareness *Enhanced reflexes *Enhanced creativity *Enhanced mastery of the gameplay mechanics *Enhanced capacity at multi-threading information This state of mind is well known by some advanced meditation practitioner or martial artists. Some people call this state 'the mind without mind', a state mind free from fear, anger and ego. However, this state is just the beginning of a new lifestyle, a new way to play video games. Such state of mind was also demonstrated in the film The Last Samurai. (Click here) The mindgame (master of puppets) On the highest levels, it's all about using the higher laws against the lower. In the beginning, the player learns how to play. Then, they learn how to react to their opponents. Later they apply strategies and develop the ability to anticipate what they'll do. On higher levels, the players will instead focus on manipulating the mind of their opponents in order to control their actions (the higher laws VS the lower). If you were to play against such high level master, he would dodge your bullets, but it would only be a wrong impression, because what he does instead is to make you shot where and when he wants based on how his actions voluntary influence yours. That's why in some martial arts it is told that a true master doesn't have to fight, because to play with his opponents instead can hardly be considered as fighting. As the player gets better at manipulating others, he will start to learn how to manipulate more than one opponent at once. At some point, it just feels like you were in the head of all you opponents, some form of greater empathy. It's because of your ability to put yourself in their shoes, they you understand what they would do if you influence them in one way or another. Whoever doesn't undestand that a competitive game is all about controlling the mind of his opponents, will never develop the potential to reach the higher levels. One thing is sure, it's impossible to achieve a great mindgame without a great mastery of the controls, gameplay mechanics and the maps. On the other hand, the quality of the mindgame that we can find in a game depends a lot of its depth and how the gameplay mechanics work. You won't find a mindgame in Call of Duty as rich as the one in Quake III Arena.